Dublin Coffman High School senior Paige Emanivong is enrolled in Dublin’s Engineering Academy, a one-year program that helps students learn the standards of the industry before going to college. The course ends with a capstone project, similar to many college experiences. This sets the program above the basic science classes that most students have access to.

“The program is specifically designed for engineering and it’s very generalized, not toward a specific type of engineering,” says Emanivong. “They teach you all sorts of things like coding, building, design aspects, all that stuff, which is basically what I want to get into.”

The academy program has definitely shaken up her schedule, as five periods in her day will be consumed by her engineering and college comp classes. This leaves less time for other classes that other seniors are required to take or extracurriculars that she might want to take. One of her class periods is taken up just by commuting back and forth between Coffman and the Emerald Campus.

“I’ve always been really in love with the idea of creating things, building things, helping change the world; things like that.” - Paige Emanivong

“I had to opt out of a lot of other classes,” says Emanivong, “especially because I need a travel period to get back to Coffman and to the new campus. I mean, luckily for me, it’s right across the street from Coffman, but especially for Jerome or Scioto students it’s definitely going to be a struggle for them to fit all the classes they want into their schedule.”

Because of her schedule, Emanivong has to be more aware of how much time she is spending on activities outside of school. She participates in track and field and cheerleading and has a part-time job. Senior year is a lot of work for any student, but she’s glad she had time this summer to relax and prepare herself for next year, especially when it comes to searching for colleges and finishing her high school career strong.

Emanivong plans to use the skills she learns at the academy in the future and knows that this type of program will set her ahead of her peers. She also thinks this program will give her an opportunity to meet new people from the other Dublin schools. Above all, it allows her to explore engineering in ways that a traditional high school experience couldn’t provide.

“I’ve always been really in love with the idea of creating things, building things, helping change the world; things like that,” says Emanivong. “It just always really interested me and it’s such a growing workforce right now and it’s going to be really big in the future. I’m so excited – especially being a girl that’s doing it.”

Women are frequently underrepresented in STEAM fields, especially in engineering. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, less than 15 percent of architecture and engineering jobs are held by women. Hopefully with more programs like those available in Dublin, more women like Emanivong will succeed in their professional endeavors.

Maria Lubanovic is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.